Salt Creek Grille, Anything but Salty

I have not been to Salt Creek Grille in a long while. I am not sure why, exactly; I think we just got out of the habit. It is located on a pretty corner at Crown Valley and PCH, with lots of trees and an inviting wooden deck in front. As you approach the entrance, there is a large square fire pit on the deck, surrounded by benches. Several patrons were drinking their wine around the fire, which looked like a great idea.

Inside, there is a large bar, with live music on the night we were there, a large screen television and lots of people enjoying themselves. The restaurant is decorated with Mission-style furniture and fixtures, and has a very serene feeling with the high-beamed ceiling, all of the windows, and understated décor. We were taken to a comfortable booth.

The menu is new since we were last there, and I like the changes. It is just two pages, so there are a lot of interesting choices, but not too many. The drink menu is actually a column down the left side of the menu, so you can check out the cocktail list while you look over the food choices.

Cleverly-named martinis are featured, and some of the most intriguing are the ‘O.M.G. hi, how are you?’, ‘Katie’s Cookie’ and the ‘Van Gogh espresso martini.’ Of course, there are other drinks as well. My husband chose the reserve Manhattan and I ordered the peli-loco, a potent, but tasty mix of Peligroso Reposado tequila, lime juice, Agave nectar and ginger beer. They also have a nice wine list that offers options for the wine enthusiast as well as for the more casual connoisseur.

We did not order an appetizer, but there are a lot of good choices, like the artisanal cheese plate, Creek sliders, which are topped with blue cheese and arugula, and the Ahi tuna stack. We started by splitting the Salt Creek house salad, a nice mix of apples, gorgonzola, glazed walnuts and baby greens.  We both loved the salad, and I recommend splitting it with a friend, unless you are really hungry.

Entrées are divided into five categories: “Handhelds” are sandwiches and wraps,  “grille burgers,” include a grilled natural turkey burger and a blue-cheese stuffed burger, among others. Some of the fresh fish choices include: Chilean sea bass, citrus glazed Ppah and rock shrimp risotto. Under “from the flame” are five different steak preparations. Everything else, such as ribs, pasta, and even grilled tofu falls under “grille specialties.”

Many items throughout the menu are identified as gluten-free, which is a helpful touch.

My husband chose the petite filet mignon and I picked spaghetti squash and ricotta ravioli. Both entrees were beautifully presented. The filet was served with slices of oven-roasted Yukon gold potatoes that were prepared with rosemary, garlic, and pepper and quite tasty. There was lots of fresh asparagus too, which my husband also really enjoyed. The steak was cooked just as he had ordered it, and was delicious.

My ravioli was wonderful.  I could not really taste the spaghetti squash inside the ravioli, but I loved the corn, fresh snow peas, capers, kale and heirloom tomato marmalade that was served with the pasta. All of those flavors blended beautifully. My only complaint was that the dish contained a lot of olive oil that made it heavier than I would prefer, but overall, it was very good.

We checked out the dessert menu that features Granny Smith apple pie, crème brulee, cheesecake, a flourless chocolate cake and chocolate ganache soufflé. The soufflé takes 25 minutes to prepare and is finished tableside with warm chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and powdered sugar. I am guessing that it is probably well worth the wait.

Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point is a lovely restaurant with an interesting menu, well-prepared food and good service. They serve dinner daily starting at 5 p.m. Lunch is available weekends only, starting at 11:30 a.m. Sunday brunch is also served from 10:30 a.m.  to 2:00 p.m.

I give it 4 out of 5 Patches.